History Recap / ColdCaseS4E21Torn

* AbusiveParents: Ambrose, true to the customs at the time, is emotionally neglectful and controlling towards Frances, expecting her to blindly obey him and not even treating her like a person. When she defies him by supporting votes for women, he uses his connections to wrongfully imprison Frances and threatens to disown her unless she leaves the suffragettes. Elizabeth also repeatedly tries to browbeat and guilt-trip Frances into playing along with her dictated role in the family.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Ambrose and Elizabeth warn that their family will be ruined if women get votes because the suffragettes support Prohibition, and Frances doesn't know what it's like to live without the wealth she grew up in.

* MistakenForGay: The team suspects that Frances and Philippa were in a relationship based on a letter they found regarding the women's "secret passion" without much context. This is disproven by Philippa's daughter, Audrey, who maintains that while Frances and her mother were close, there was nothing romantic going on between the two of them.

* AbusiveParents: Ambrose, true to the customs at the time, is emotionally neglectful and controlling towards Frances, expecting her to blindly obey him and not even treating her like a person. When she defies him by supporting votes for women, he uses his connections to imprison Frances and threatens to disown her unless she leaves the suffragettes. Elizabeth also repeatedly tries to browbeat and guilt-trip Frances into playing along with her dictated role in the family.

* DeusExMachina: The vinyl record pointing to the murderer was found [[spoiler:in her mother's room]] untouched.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Suffragettes are treated as menaces to society. Their leader, Alice B. Harris, was beaten in prison.

* HeroWithBadPublicity: Alice is charged with running a brothel. She just wants women to have the vote.

* DeusExMachina: The vinyl record pointing to the murderer was found [[spoiler:in her mother's room]] untouched

* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler: Elizabeth descends into a tearful rage after Frances stands up to her, yelling that she's happy and her life is not a lie, until she accidentally kills her daughter.]]

* RegretfulTraitor: [[spoiler: Phil is forced to betray Alice, Frances, and the rest of the suffragettes to the police under pressure from her employers and the threat of her husband divorcing her and never letting her see her daughter again. Fittingly, she’s compared to UsefulNotes/BenedictArnold.]]

* ShadowArchetype: Elizabeth to Frances. Elizabeth was once just like her daughter, hoping to see the world and make something of her life. When she realized she didn't have those options, she settled hard as a wife and mother, trying to convince herself it was what she wanted to the point of shunning the suffragettes. While Frances followed what society dictated for her at first, she came to reject such a future and was eager to join the suffragist movement to change the status quo for women. Despite her conflicting loyalties, Frances ultimately stuck to her beliefs and remained loyal to the suffragettes even when she risked being disowned. Elizabeth is who Frances could've become if she had given up on her dreams: a glib {{Socialite}} who clings to her marriage and status due to having no other identity, and refuses to even try to advance her or her daughter's prospects no matter how much it secretly hurts her.

* GildedCage: Said word for word multiple times when it's pointed out that for all of Frances' wealth and privilege, she's still trapped under her family and society's expectations.

* ShadowArchetype: Elizabeth to Frances. Elizabeth was once just like her daughter, hoping to see the world and make something of her life. When she realized she didn't have those options, she settled hard as a wife and mother, trying to convince herself it was what she wanted to the point of shunning the suffragettes. On the other hand, while Frances followed what society dictated for her at first, she came to reject such a future and was eager to join the suffragist movement to change the status quo for women. Despite her conflicting loyalties, Frances ultimately stuck to her beliefs and remained loyal to the suffragettes even when she risked being disowned. Elizabeth is who Frances could've become had she given up on her dreams: a glib {{Socialite}} who has no identity outside of her husband or status, and refuses to even try to advance her or her daughter's prospects no matter how much it secretly hurts her.

* GildedCage: It's pointed out multiple times that for all of Frances' wealth and privilege, she's still trapped under her family and society's expectations.

* StepfordSmiler: Elizabeth insists that she's content with running a household and Frances will be too if she just accepts it. However, Frances knows her mother is just BelievingTheirOwnLies because she doesn’t see any other choice, and is secretly unhappy stifling her desires and capabilities in favor of "needlepointing her life away". [[spoiler: She outright calls Elizabeth out on this in their final confrontation.]]
-->'''Elizabeth:''' Why can't you accept that I'm happy the way I am, and you can be, too?//
'''Frances:''' Because you're not happy, mother. You're just too scared to admit it.

* StepfordSmiler: Elizabeth insists that she's content with running a household and Frances will be too if she just accepts it. However, Frances knows her mother is just BelievingTheirOwnLies because she doesn’t see any other choice, and is secretly unhappy stifling her desires and capabilities in favor of "needlepointing her life away".

* ExtremelyColdCase: From 1919, 88 years ago, meaning everyone involved except a single witness, Audrey, has since passed away. Emma accepts there can't be any arrests made when she brings the case to the police and is simply hoping to get closure for her late grandmother, who was haunted by Frances' unsolved death.

* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler: Elizabeth descends into a tearful rage after Frances stands up to her, insisting that she's happy and her life is not a lie, until she accidentally kills her daughter.]]

* ShadowArchetype: Elizabeth to Frances. Elizabeth was once just like her daughter, hoping to see the world and make something of her life. When she realized she didn't have those options, she settled hard as a wife and mother, trying to convince herself it was what she wanted to the point of shunning the suffragettes. On the other hand, while Frances followed what society dictated for her at first, she came to reject such a future and was eager to join the suffragist movement to change the status quo for women. Despite her conflicting loyalties, Frances ultimately stuck to her beliefs and remained loyal to the suffragettes even when she risked being disowned. Elizabeth is who Frances could've become had she given up on her dreams: a glib {{Socialite}} who has no identity of her own outside of her husband or status, and refuses to even try to advance her or her daughter's prospects, no matter how much it secretly hurts her.

** "We’re only as strong as our greatest fear."

* ShadowArchetype: Elizabeth to Frances. Elizabeth was once just like her daughter, aspiring to see the world and make something of her life. When she realized she didn't have those options, she settled hard as a wife and mother, trying to convince herself it was what she wanted. On the other hand, Frances refused to conform to what others wanted of her and was eager to join the suffragist movement to change the status quo for women. While Frances ultimately stuck to her beliefs and remained loyal to the suffragettes even when she risked being disowned, Elizabeth's cynicism led to her shunning these women and refusing to even try to advance her or her daughter's prospects, no matter how much it secretly hurt her.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Ambrose and Elizabeth warn that their family will be ruined if women get votes because the suffragettes support Prohibition and Frances doesn't know what it's like to live without the wealth she grew up in.

* CoolOldLady: Present day Audrey has shades of this.